Regular voluntary running has favorable histological effects on doxorubicin-induced kidney toxicity in Wistar rats.

Abstract

Knowing the therapeutic effects of regular physical exercise on kidney toxicity induced by a single dose of doxorubicin (DOX) in animal models, the aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of regular voluntary running on kidney histology after a prolonged DOX administration, mimicking a chemotherapy protocol. Thirty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two clusters: DOX (n= 17) and SSS (sterile saline solution, n= 17), receiving a weekly intraperitoneal injection of DOX (2mg/kg) or vehicle for 7weeks, respectively. Two weeks after the last injection, five animals from each cluster (SSSG, n= 5; DOXG, n= 5) were euthanized, while the remaining ones were divided into sedentary (DOXsed, n= 6; SSSsed, n= 6) and active subgroups (DOXact, n= 6; SSSact, n= 6). Active animals were placed individually in cages with a running wheel for regular voluntary activity. After 2months, the animals were euthanized and kidneys were histologically examined. Compared to SSSG, kidneys from DOXG revealed higher levels of damage, more collagen content and thickening of Bowman's capsule (p< .05). The levels of damage and thickness of Bowman's capsule increased in DOXsed as compared to DOXG (p< .05). Compared to DOXsed, the DOXact presented an overall improvement in kidney structure (p< .05), with a decrease in collagen content and of the thickness of Bowman's capsule. The results allow concluding that regular voluntary running attenuate the long-term harmful effects on kidney structure induced by a prolonged DOX treatment. These results, supporting the potential benefit of physical activity in patients under DOX treatment, need to be tested in humans.